Dendrocitta vagabunda
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) is a treepie, native to the Indian subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding.
The sexes are alike and the main colour of the body is cinnamon with a black head and the long graduated tail is bluish grey and is tipped in black. The wing has a white patch. The only confusable species is the grey treepie which however lacks the bright rufous mantle. The bill is stout with a hooked tip. The underparts and lower back are a warm tawny-brown to orange-brown in colour with white wing coverts and black primaries. The bill, legs and feet are black.
The widespread populations show variations and several subspecies are recognized. The nominate subspecies is found in the northeastern part of peninsular India south to Hyderabad. The desert form is paler and called pallida, vernayi of the Eastern Ghats is brighter while parvula of the Western... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 18 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 20 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 22 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquaelegance | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 3,269 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 19th most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October–March
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie in Chennai on a given day, against about 30% in April–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Treepie sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
29th of 63
Of the 63 cities where we can rate Rufous Treepie sightings, Chennai ranks 29th at about 40%. The best odds are in Hajipur (India, about 80%), Asansol (India, about 80%) and Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 80%).
Same family: Corvidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous Treepie that you can see in Chennai (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are House Crow (about 90%) and Large-billed Crow (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Treepie is recorded against all the birds logged in Chennai (3,269 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
